Panic has gripped schools in Lagos as authorities denied claims of bandit invasion

Fear gripped parts of Lagos State on Monday after rumors of alleged bandit attacks sparked calls by parents to withdraw their children from schools in the surrounding communities of Eleko and Imota.

The concerns, which spread quickly through social media messages and word of mouth, caused disruption at several schools before state authorities and police took action to dismiss the claims as false and baseless.

In Eleko, located in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, anxious parents rushed to the school following reports that armed bandits had attacked the local community.

One parent whose child was enrolled at Davdan Kindergarten and Elementary School said he received an emergency call from school officials ordering parents to immediately pick up their children.

“I got a call from my children’s school that there were bandits around Eleko and we had to pick up our children from school,” he said.

A parent, who did not wish to be named, said that the directive was not limited to one school but appeared to impact several educational institutions in the area.

“Orders were issued to all schools around this place, schools must be closed and parents must pick up their children. The children are now everywhere. They said all the children must go home,” he added.

As panic spread, officials began investigating the source of the reports and quickly tried to reassure residents that no similar attacks had occurred.

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These fears were further fueled by claims broadcast during a radio call-in programme, in which callers alleged that bandits had attacked a government school in the Imota Local Council Development Area and killed two schoolgirls.

However, school authorities in the region denied the claims, and insisted that the incident referred to was actually a road accident and not a security breach.

Principal of LG Kindergarten and Primary School, Agbowa, Odumeru Adekunle, explained that the panic stemmed from misinformation regarding the accident and not an attack by an armed group.

The Imota LCDA government also issued a statement rejecting the claims and urging residents to ignore the circulating reports.

“We wish to state unequivocally that the information contained in the video is false, misleading and completely baseless. There are no verified reports, official records or credible security information confirming the alleged incident at Imota LCDA,” the statement said.

Officials warned that circulation of unverified information could raise unnecessary fears and advised the public to seek the latest information only from recognized security agencies and government channels.

The broadcaster at the center of the controversy later acknowledged that the information had been broadcast before being independently verified and apologized for the error.

“During the live broadcast segment, we received calls from listeners alleging that ‘Imota is on fire’ and that ‘bandits are in the government school’ with ‘two girls affected’. Due to the urgency for information, the information was broadcast without full verification from security agencies and community leaders,” the station said.

The Lagos State Police Command also rejected reports of bandit attacks, describing the claims as inaccurate.

Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said there had been no confirmed incidents matching the descriptions circulating online and in viral videos.

While denying the allegations, the command stated that they would still review the videos and claims shared by members of the public before making any further statements.

In a brief response to questions, a police spokesperson said, “We will analyze the video and provide a comment.”

The official denial helped defuse later tensions, although the incident once again highlighted how quickly unverified information can fuel widespread fear and disrupt normal activities in communities and schools.